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<br />_ " . . .~.~,_..., "'J, J:IOJ
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<br />11 ~",n ",ater &ferenee...
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<br />(C01lh""II." {nJ", p.;g. I)
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<br />
<br />'The Bureau of Reclamation could
<br />~
<br />~. justify growing bananas on
<br />Pikes Peak -- it built projects
<br />to irrigate high-~ltitude land
<br />with short growing seasons. '
<br />
<br />
<br />eonferellCc, put 011 by the Amcricall
<br />Indi.a.1l Rc;'SOUl<<S ltl.\!:ir;>J,tC'. <:I{ SUI.
<br />Frilncis,o, a fcdr:ul COUrt ill
<br />Albuquerque, New Mcxi,o, e'Xtendcd
<br />Ir,diall warer righls bcyond Ihose
<br />bascclolllrel1lie.s. Thejudge,rulillgoll
<br />thc l~-ycar-old ^amodt Cl15e (HeN,
<br />}I~IM) said Pueblo Indi;ln.s in Ihc
<br />TC5uquc alld Nambe/Pojoaque .stream
<br />.system near Santa Fc haye "ahac.
<br />iginal" righls 10wa1Cr. The righls arc
<br />supeuor, or scnior, Ihc judge said, to
<br />dVJl;.e of the !Ildians' Al1glo and
<br />H~panic neighbuts who arc currently
<br />using rhe Waler.
<br />Thelt use was dlfferent from the
<br />Fort Peck or Wind River tribe',
<br />becau.se the Pueblo.s ""'ere IlOt nomads
<br />whom the sovernmem tried to flJrn
<br />into lillen; of the 'oil. So [he Pueblos
<br />have neilhec a treuy roor a
<br />fcderallycrelltedre.servalion.lll.lIlead,
<br />Iheir claim is based on Iheir lon,
<br />tenure on me land.- !hey tracc their
<br />yillages and use of rhc surrounding
<br />land and waler 10 prehistory.
<br />According 10 Ihe U.S. DlSltic( C;ourt,
<br />their cenruries.long occupancy eSI:lb.
<br />lishc':s their water righls ("f11"St in
<br />rime, fitsl in righr").
<br />Wendell Chino, president of Ihe
<br />Me5oC'illetl) Apache Tribe in New
<br />Meltlco, in II fierce opcninS address,
<br />said. "The federal dislricr judge has
<br />ruled thai indian tribe!. ret2in rheir
<br />abOriginal nghls lowalrr dr~pilr (heir
<br />un".w{ul approprialion, b)' non.
<br />lodlans."
<br />BUI Chino al.o .aid of /1"",o.lJ:
<br />'"This i.s a~OlhCl case on paprr."
<br />Chairman Peterson Zah of rhc
<br />NaY;l.jo Nalion in Arizona and New
<br />Me.xieo,saia:'"M\lcnofwnl1tlneard
<br />is abour paper. A' Indian leaders, we
<br />haye a duly 10 inspirc our people to do
<br />whaf Ihe)' can to help themselves. I
<br />dun'r wall[ 10 pur all of our eggs in Ihe
<br />ability of alluroe.ys to ..,in waler'
<br />rights."
<br />The paper yielories, awards of
<br />Willer Ihc- tribes have not yet pur to
<br />use, have come 01.1 a high cost. Awards
<br />o( wafer under PI^ are hody
<br />contcsled; beforc an acre of land is
<br />dccJ:ued "praclicably irriSable" and
<br />fhere-fore c1igible (or water, ir is
<br />{ought oyer by armies of eltpens in
<br />threepicceauits.
<br />As a (eSull, tne tribes have spent
<br />millions o( dollars of their own money
<br />and millions more- of the federal
<br />government's mOlley on atrorneys,
<br />\.Oils specidists, hydrologists, en-
<br />gineers and <<oMmins. Jvhn R.
<br />Washakie, an offi,er of rhc Shoshone
<br />Tribe on the Wind Riyer Reservation,
<br />desccibcd the process:
<br />"You run our and hire IIbOUI 9~
<br />experts, and Ihenlhe nexr year none
<br />of lhttn 1I8ree." In Ihe Wind River
<br />easc, rhere wa.s "the aflorney who
<br />goes to ~lecp during a meerin8. You
<br />only hope Ihar Sferson (Tom SfetSon,
<br />rhe cribc's ,hief consuJrallt) "",ake-s
<br />tncm when something imPMtant
<br />happens."
<br />Donllld Anfone, Governor of the
<br />Gila Riyer Indian Communily in
<br />ArilOIlj/., said, "We have alw.ys dealt
<br />....ilh one law firm.. our fcc.s sentaJl
<br />their children through law school.
<br />....fler yt1ln of litigation, they tend 10
<br />SllY: 'My wafer nghls, my case, my
<br />
<br />i.ssue.' It'li hud for us to re.educate
<br />th.e..ttomeystolhc.redfll.ct$."
<br />
<br />Despite the ~entmcn[, mere
<br />was unanimlly thar good
<br />eltperlS are worth rheir cost.
<br />To not hire them or 10 negoualc a_y
<br />rhc water wilhoulliusacion is "dollar
<br />wi.se and water foolish," a speaker
<br />said.
<br />Washakie said, "WithOut the
<br />besl advice lIyailable, you'll 10ie
<br />everyrhing. If you don't have the
<br />mone)', go out and borrow it." Tribes
<br />tha.tcan affOfd it, he said, Ihould pay
<br />the $l.~ millioo for a typical case.
<br />Grhers should use Bureau of Indian
<br />Affain.lawyenl, temembering mill the
<br />BI^, a pan of Interior, wiU be pulled
<br />in many direerion..
<br />^ ",pc-alter lor die Nanjo Tribe,
<br />anomey Mike Nelson, uid , U
<br />.milllon is conservative. He estimaled
<br />that four strum adjudications would
<br />cast the Nayajos "well oYer SIO
<br />million. Moncy flow.' off the
<br />reservation II) oUTside lawyen and
<br />experr..s.. We're putiins in tribal
<br />money (ro Iirigalion) when there are
<br />pcopk to feea."
<br />Those expet!1i spend months,
<br />"ometimes years, collecting data to
<br />prove how many acre", of re'serva.tiotl
<br />land arc. feni!e, inigllble and won'l
<br />leach poqons into runoff water.
<br />Engineers show where the rC'servoir
<br />~iles are and how dicche. could' get
<br />....a(erll) the {erule soil. In the end, the
<br />(ltpen' have a plan for irrigalilli
<br />every arable a,re on the reservation
<br />.....hich can conceivably be reKhed by
<br />.....ateroutofrhe reservation's IUeams
<br />or reservoirs.
<br />Tom Sle150n, a consultant based in
<br />Ca.pistral1O Beilch, C."liforni.., com-
<br />pared Ihe PIA proceu 10 that which
<br />the Bureau of Reclamation used. The
<br />Bureau's process was 50 loose, hC'-
<br />saKi, il CQuld jusUfy the ,rowing of
<br />"'bananas on PikC's Peu" .. it buil~
<br />projects to irrigare high.alrilllde land'
<br />with short growing seasom. The PI^
<br />procc-ss, wilh. srale. such at Wyoming
<br />ill caun 10 prevent the IndiallS from
<br />gening IIn exlra acre.foor of water; is
<br />rouch more demanding, he claimed.
<br />^Ithou,h Ihe PIA process is
<br />e:ltpcll.lliye, lensthy and dcmandinl..
<br />rile Indians face even luugher
<br />problems after they receive their
<br />waler ril.hr. The waler lhey are
<br />It'Natded is often beitlg used by
<br />nlln.lndi;ln,.. some of tMm the founh
<br />generalion of their family to use the
<br />wilier 10 irrisale rhcir ficlds. In
<br />addition, the area's dirches, canals
<br />IInd hcadgales may be controlled by
<br />the non-Indian agricultuntl commun-
<br />iry.
<br />John Gonzalez, a sraffe:r with Ihe
<br />All lndlan Pueblo Council in
<br />A~buquerque, and a member of a
<br />pl.IC'blo tribe involved in the Aamodr
<br />['.lIse, said Ihe New Mexico cue hu
<br />CtC'lrcd much fricdon. "Those ill
<br />fcclings will hinder administration of
<br />thc warcr," BUI there t\ 110 alternau...e
<br />ro cooperlltion. "The dirches lite
<br />lin.ked."
<br />More Ihan friction lIunds in the
<br />WilY of cooperafion. GOllzalel said,
<br />"Notl-Indians have their own Iystem
<br />of water czats. But Ihe Indian ,ystem
<br />
<br />i. all done by cusrom." So .sharing the
<br />water l1leans. me Pueblos must creace
<br />an adntJ"niJtraUye sysrem. "But how
<br />do you lell your grandfather or grear.
<br />Bra..ndf'j\mn: 'You cap't irri,ate your
<br />ficlds this way anymore'?"
<br />
<br />Washakie of me Wind River
<br />Reael'Vf,uon .aid: "We'ye been in a
<br />,iNacion in the pUt of QOt bcinl able
<br />to ta.I.Ir. ro local (non-Indian) people.
<br />They'ye: run.the irrigllooll .ystem the
<br />way mey wanf." But "hen rhe tribe,
<br />won the ~OO,OOO acre.foot award,
<br />"Suddenly a lot of people on the
<br />projects are talking TO us."
<br />Had the Indians won the.e watet'
<br />victorie.s 30 years ago, they.nUl.hl
<br />baYe been able fO daim !heir share of
<br />man)' federal redamauon projecll.'
<br />Instea.d, the Burej\\l of Reclamation
<br />Ulually ignored Indian water righlSl
<br />'.hen it built.a project, .imply raking
<br />
<br />what i. now recogniJed as Indian
<br />waler for the benefit o( non.llldian
<br />""'".
<br />Now the India.n3 are: nailin, down
<br />their righll in coun. Bur the Age of
<br />Rcclamacion iJ past, and they are
<br />Cattd with the tlI.Ik. of deY'C:lopiIlg the
<br />WIlter without federal dalWs. If the
<br />aibe. were eonren! to leaye the waICr
<br />inlU'eanll for fish and wildlife, there
<br />WOLlldn'r be much of a problem. But
<br />that does not .eem to be the intent.
<br />'WendeU Chino of the Mescalero
<br />^p.IChes opened the ,0nfereJ1ee by
<br />laying:
<br />"Hydro,ener.ciotl of power iJ flOe,
<br />but it'1i a o.on.eollSumpriye Ule. We
<br />have to pUt it to benet we than that.
<br />So faz.. Jndia.n people are e.oncerned:
<br />UK' it or lose it. Our failure to ucil.ize
<br />our water to the maximum ",jJJ limit
<br />our growth a.od deye!opmctU ..
<br />endanlC'r houling deyc:(opme[t~, lI~ri:
<br />
<br />I
<br />,
<br />\
<br />
<br />_;,-..-~:'i
<br />
<br />Tribes fight hazardous wastes
<br />
<br />ladiao.rnervatioru.b.ivedtei.mage
<br />of being iaolated and undeveloped
<br />rural oulp08l1. But a reeeo.t 112~,OOO
<br />federally funded study by the Council
<br />of Energy Resource Tribel (CER1j
<br />indicarCll otherwi.5c. The survey of 1~
<br />of the nation', 270 resel'VlluoDS turned
<br />IIp 1,100 ha:r.llIdous waSle ,eo.eJ1uon,
<br />Itlme po.inS "polentially aeufe"
<br />problems. AI a result, CERT's project
<br />mana,er, Warner Reeser, has called
<br />po. the Enyironmental ProlecriO&!
<br />Agency to conduct a survey of me
<br />remaini.tls . 24' reservaciollS (HeN,
<br />,}/14/8~).
<br />The report prepared by CERT,
<br />....hitb it an O(ll.ni:r.auon of 40 energy
<br />lCibes based in Denver, laid, "Indian
<br />tribes hayC been generally ignored in
<br />the current processe. ro control
<br />hazardous wute.. Thil is unaccept.
<br />a.ble" bcc:ause the hedth (If lcvii....nt.
<br />alrcady lass behind that enjoyed by
<br />orher Americans and becau,c ..the
<br />environment occupies .. utLique
<br />spiritulll and cultural place in
<br />SUStaining IndilUl WC'1I.beiDg."
<br />C~T wanu the EP.... 10 work with
<br />the rribes to implemenr ~o nalional
<br />huardous w.ne lawli rhe
<br />Comprehensiye Enyironmenlal Re.
<br />sponse, Compensation and Liabilil)'
<br />^ct, I..O.d the Raoun:e Conservaticm
<br />and Reco'Yel)' Act.
<br />Pan of the diffieulry is caused by
<br />the unique atarus of lndiall reserva.
<br />tions. Bccause of their ucafy relarion.
<br />.irh the federal goycrrunent, mos(
<br />tribes cOllsider reservuil)ns the
<br />sovereiSn equal of sUtel, and they
<br />generally do riot tubmil to !tttle
<br />implementation of various federal
<br />
<br />law.. Jo.atead, diey seek to impletnenf
<br />thote laws meinselye..
<br />Perhap. lIS.. ~u1t, the'l.tatea,
<br />which condueted 1ll00t of the nalional
<br />survey of haz.an:lOUl WllIte sites under
<br />the Superfund 11_, generally disre.
<br />garded relC'rYlliODI d!,lrinS (heir
<br />1IW"VC"1. wim CERT D()'II anem-pUn& to
<br />fill U1a.t gap.
<br />lbe CERT lrudy of 2~ reaeCYI.aoDS
<br />depended on information from the
<br />ttibtsl them.e1Ye', and on .tate and
<br />federJl iecordl. Reeser .aid, "The
<br />most encouf'l.giD' pan "Ill the .uper
<br />relpollSe we ,Ot ftom cribeli." BllIed
<br />upon ta.lb-'fo'ith tribal elders and other
<br />infonnacion, the tribe. mlcd out
<br />que.liono.aire. about sites on or near
<br />their lands. MorCO'Ver, many of the
<br />panicipalln' uibel havc now built,
<br />hazardous - Wl.lte 1i1UVC)' work into
<br />the\{ ui.ba! !l)vernment-a1 &Cliyici.es,
<br />Ree5ersaid.
<br />CERT, which wants; 10 al1l't'ey all
<br />270 federally recoSni:r.cd resel'Vllrions,
<br />ill 1\091 preparing :I COlit eslimate. The
<br />organization laid rhal as a result of
<br />work ithl.llllre.dydonc, il knOWIi that
<br />sasitesllteplJ'ticularlyrhrcareain,lO
<br />public health: ubelto! u..i1inlll and
<br />mines on the .san Carlos Apache and
<br />White Riyer Apa,hc rescrYations in
<br />Arilona;, an illeial pesticide dump on
<br />the Port Berthold Reservarion in Nonh
<br />Da.kola; wood preservative, conramin_
<br />ation aD the Hoop. Valley Reservarioo.
<br />in California; and paper wastes and
<br />agricultural chemicllls on rhe Oneida
<br />Reservation in Wisconsin.
<br />
<br />..Mil-rid1l. .1",61"
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